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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery

Vitamin D: COVID-19 quacks embrace more general quackery

COVID-19 antivax quack Dr. Paul Marik has embraced vitamin D quackery. What does this say about the COVID “contrarian”-to-quack pipeline?

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Cancer Medicine Quackery

Tess Lawrie: “You might not believe this, little fella, but it’ll cure your cancer too”

In a turn that should surprise exactly no one, the BIRD Group’s Tess Lawrie effortlessly pivots from promoting ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19 to promoting it as a cure for cancer. It’s another example of how single-issue quacks almost inevitably embrace more diverse quackery.

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Cancer Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Did the experimental cancer drug 3-Bromopyruvate (3-BP) cause the deaths of cancer patients at a German alternative medicine clinic?

I’ve frequently written about various dubious and outright quack clinics in different parts of the word with—shall we say?—somewhat less rigorous laws and regulations than the US. Most commonly, given the proximity to the US, the clinics that have drawn my attention are located in Mexico, most commonly right across the border from San Diego […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Humor Medicine Naturopathy Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

What is an “altie”?

How does one identify a hard core believer in alternative medicine, sometimes called in the distant past an “altie.” Well, this helpful list, culled from nine years ago, will aid you in spotting the identifying signs…

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

The deadly false hope of German cancer clinics

A couple of months ago, I discussed patient deaths at an alternative medicine clinic in Europe, where a naturopath named Klaus Ross had been administering an experimental cancer drug (3-bromopyruvate, or 3-BP) to patients outside the auspices of a clinical trial. 3-BP is a drug that targets the Warburg effect, a characteristic of cancer cells […]